Basic Melting Process of Aluminum Bronze ZCuAl10Fe3
Preparatory work before smelting
Preparation of raw materials and recycled materials:
Raw materials include electrolytic copper, metal aluminum, iron, manganese, nickel, etc., and the surface is required to be clean and free of oil stains.
Recycled materials are mainly runners and scrap parts, which need to be cleaned of oil stains.
Preparation of intermediate alloys:
10-3 intermediate alloys (Al-Fe alloys) are added in a ratio of 10:3, considering the actual quality of the furnace after burning.
Selection of flux:
The selection of slag removers and refining agents has an important influence on the mechanical properties and composition of the alloy.
Smelting equipment:
Inspection and preparation of oil furnaces and tools, including the condition of crucibles, cleaning of oil nozzles, preheating of melting tools, etc.
Pouring equipment:
Inspection and maintenance of centrifugal casting machines to ensure that circuits, protective shells, mold fixtures, etc. are intact.
Preparation of ladles, using specific materials and proportions for masonry.
Melting process
Chemical composition range:
Aluminum (Al) 8.5-11%, iron (Fe) 2.0-4.0%, this is the industry standard composition range.
Melting steps:
Check the oil furnace crucible and preheat to 200-300℃.
Add Al-Fe master alloy and electrolytic copper and melt until the electrolytic copper is clear.
After melting, stir appropriately and keep the temperature at 1250℃-1300℃.
Add slag remover for slag removal and keep warm for 10 minutes.
Take samples for composition identification.
Pour the castings and pay attention to the pouring temperature of castings with different wall thicknesses.
Pouring and cooling:
Strictly control the weight of the copper liquid to prevent waste.
After centrifugal pouring, let the castings cool naturally to dark red (500℃-600℃) and then quench.
Precautions
Aluminum bronze alloys are easy to combine with oxygen to form oxides during the smelting process, so stirring should be minimized to avoid damaging the oxide film on the liquid surface.
The temperature and chemical composition are strictly controlled during the melting process to ensure the properties of the alloy.
The pouring and cooling steps are critical to the properties of the final casting and must be carried out according to the specified temperature and method.
